Gene expression profile on dermal fibroblasts treated with melanocortin compounds

Fibroblasts have emerged as new therapeutic targets for the treatment of multiple conditions, ranging from rheumatoid arthritis to fibrosis. Hence, the development of novel therapies targeting this cell type offers new opportunities for diseases with high medican needs.In this study, human dermal fibroblasts obtained from healthy volunteers were cultured in vitro and treated with various compounds to determine their gene expression profile compared to vehicle-treated fibroblasts. Overall design: Cells were plated on day 0 and drug treatments (BMS-470539 -10uM-, alphaMSH -10uM-, itraconazole -1uM- or vehicle -PBS-) applied on days 1, 3 and 5. Cells were collected on day 6 and RNA extracted.